Let go: ditch that millstone!

Have you heard of JOMO? Maybe it’s time you did. Because this is one trend that makes life easier: it’s all about the “Joy of Missing Out”. You’ve got enough commitments already. Now’s the time to give things a miss occasionally.

01.09.2021

A millstone around your neck

Today this is used to mean an “onerous obligation”, but the expression has a history of its own. A millstone itself is the heavy stone used to grind grain into flour. But the first record of this particular expression is in the Bible, where it refers to the punishment of a person by drowning, weighed down by a millstone tied around their neck.

For us adults, life comes with countless obligations. Often, we see these as an obstacle to our personal happiness, particularly those that stop us acting spontaneously and restrict our choices. The voice inside tells us to do what we enjoy and forget about the things we find a drag. An everyday example is our own private car, with more and more people opting to car share instead. And save some money at the same time.

JOMO is the backlash against FOMO (“Fear Of Missing Out”). This kind of fear is mainly experienced by people who are always online, who like to read every little bit of breaking news and who are heavy social media users. Younger generations are particularly susceptible. But COVID-19 has put our social lives on hold and shown us that life is more relaxed when we don’t “need to be there” all the time. For many, the desire to just “let go” has never been so great as it is now. It’s time to break free from that millstone.

[Translate to English:] JOMO Joy of missing out vs FOMO Fear of missing out